Monument of the World War II North Sea Traffic

320 persons lost their lives during the migration to England during World War II. The monument at Skateflua in Ålesund, was inaugurated May 8th 1995 by His Majesty Crown Prince Haakon, for the 50th end of war anniversary. The monument is made by Olav Stavseng.

During the Second World War, more than 3,300 Norwegians escaped Nazi-occupied Norway across the North Sea in what became known as the Shetland Bus operations. The earliest crossings were made in simple fishing boats, later replaced in 1943 by three fast American-built submarine chasers. Around 300 vessels took part in these dangerous missions. Sixteen boats were lost at sea, and over 320 Norwegians lost their lives during the escape efforts—some drowned, others were captured and executed or died in prison camps.

The Shetland unit (Shetlandsgjengen) was also the nickname for a secret Norwegian naval unit (later named Norwegian Naval Special Unit (NNSU)) based in Shetland. It carried agents, resistance fighters from the Linge Company, refugees, and military supplies between Shetland and the Norwegian coast. They also laid mines and carried out sabotage missions.

The unit later received the submarine chasers Hitra, Hessa, and Vigra, which completed over 200 missions without being lost. These brave journeys played a crucial role in the resistance, supported by British intelligence services like SIS and SOE.